Randal fish



* sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

RANDALFISH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS Fon GRADING STREETS AND ROADS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,403, 'dated NovemberY 9, 1839.

' feet and expeditious manner than has been yheretofore attained; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionthereof.

In the accompanying drawing, a, a, a, a, are four feet, or pedestals,from which rise four vertical posts, b, b. These are to be placed at thesides or other parts of the road or street which is to be graded. Instreets the width of which is not too great they maj7 be placed againstthe curb-stones or on the edge of the foot path. The side pieces, c, o,are attached to the uprights b, b, by means of screws or keys in suchmanner as to allow them to be raised or lowered, there being Vslots d,d, in the uprights for that purpose.

The side pieces are made double, or of two thicknesses of plank, onewithin the other, the inner portion e, e, having a motion, or

l vbeing capable of adjustment, independently of the outer portions;they work on a pin, or hinge joint, at their ends e', e', allowing theends e2, e2, to be raised or lowered at pleasure, provision being madeto retain them in the situation in which it may be desired to placethem. For this purpose there are two uprights f, f, which rise from theouter side pieces c, c, having curved slots in them, as at g, g, bymeans of which, and tightening screws entering the movable pieces, theymay be held in place. The piece of timber h, h,

Y crosses the street or road, extending from one side piece to the otherand resting upon them. To one side of this piece is attached what Idenominate the grading gage, marked i, z'. This I fasten to the crosspiece h, zi, by regulating screws which pass through slotted pieces atits ends, as at y', The projecting piece la, which is attached to thecross piece 71., it, is for the purpose of moving it and the gradinggage upon the side pieces. Levels of any suitable ln'nd are to be placedupon or applied to the side pieces, and the cross piece h, h, for thepurpose of indicating their horizontal position, or the amount of theirdeviation therefrom. I usually also make graduations on the uprights f,f, by which the elevation of the inner above the outer side pieces maybe at once ascertained.

Inusing this apparatus I have already said that the pedestals may beplaced at the sides of the road, where the width is not too great; one,or both, of the side pieces, hoW- ever, may stand over the middle, Aorany other part, of the road or street whenever it may be foundconvenient so to place it, as the capacity for adjustment in the variousparts of the machine issuch as will admit of this being done withoutinconvenience. When the road or street is to be flat in its crosssection, the bottom edge of the grading gage will be a straight line;lwhen it is to be crowning the bottom edge is to be so curved as to givethe desired conveXity to the surface of vthe road. The ascending or thedescending grade of the road or street will be regulated by theelevation or depression of the side rails from an horizontal line, whichwill be determined by means of the levels to be applied to them, or withthe assistance of the graduations on the vertical pieces, or uprights,f, f. Should it be desired to have one side of the road or street moreelevated than the other, this may be regulated by the lateralinclination of the cross bar 72 71 or by the grading gage. Vhen theapparatus has been adjusted, and the grading gage is` for receiving theblocks of wood, where v wooden pavements are to be made, for the properperformance of which the utmost precision is necessary; but it isapplicable also to the grading of roads and streets gen erally, andeffectuallyremoves the difliculty heretofore encountered in thatoperation, a defect in the performance of which is always attended by anearly deterioration of the road.

I-Iaving thus fully described the construction and operation of theapparatus or instrument invented by me for grading roads and streets, Ido hereby declare that I do not intend to claim any of the parts of thesaid instrument taken individually; but what I do claim is- The mannerin which I have combined and arranged those parts as herein set forth,so as to adapt them, by such combination and arrangement, to theattainment `of the end la i being its general capability of adjustmentas herein pointed out, so that by drawing along that part denominatedthe grading gage, its

lower edge shall show the precise height, or

line, of the surface of the road.

RANDAL FISH.

fitnesses THos. P. JONES, W. THOMPSON.

